Like many people who have walked the halls of The Current, new music director Amber Hoback’s passion for music stems from her first influences: her family. One of Amber’s earliest memories includes singing along to a Bonnie Raitt cassette in the car with her dad.    

“My dad was a huge music lover, so I grew up going to concerts,” says Amber. “He also played guitar and flute, and there were always jam sessions at cookouts. So, music has always been a part of my life.” 

Catching the radio bug 

It only makes sense that a person who has had music as a part of her life since childhood would end up in a career in radio. But that wasn’t the original plan – Amber's journey to radio came to her by surprise while preparing for an entirely different career.  

During her time at graduate school, she started working part-time at KRSH-FM in Santa Rosa, California, as part of their street team to offset some of the costs of schooling.  

And that’s when she caught the radio bug.  

“They played artists like Lyle Lovett, Bonnie Raitt, and Americana artists like the Wood Brothers,” she says. “All these artists that I really loved but never really heard radio stations playing them like KRSH did. And that’s how I learned about the Triple A format and just fell in love.” 

After falling in love with radio, Amber quit grad school and ended up taking a full-time job with the station, where she worked in promotions before moving to programming and on-air work – and the rest is history.  

Role as music director 

A Virginia native, Amber’s most recent role was with WNRN in Charlottesville before making the leap to Minnesota to work at The Current.  

Her role as music director for a station like The Current involves listening to huge amounts of new music . She sifts through submissions from hopeful musicians and sends the best tunes to the DJs for their consideration as they build their playlists. Plus, have you ever wondered who tallies all the votes for The Chart Show? That’s Amber.  

Amber works behind the scenes alongside managing director David Safar and programming director Lindsay Kimball to ensure that listeners hear the best new and nostalgic music that listeners have come to expect and love on The Current. 

“You’re not going to come to The Current and just feel one kind of sound,” Amber says. “In the back of my mind, I’m always thinking ‘What sound are we missing and who has a song that fits that?’ My goal is to always keep our sound diverse so that everyone who listens to The Current discovers something new, but also has enough of their old favorites in there so that they can sing along too.” 

The Current as community 

From a childhood of live music to living around the country to work at various radio stations, one thing has remained true for Amber: music can build community. And in her opinion, non-commercial stations like The Current are uniquely poised to help create that community and fuel new music discovery.  

“In my experience, non-commercial radio stations like The Current really allow the DJs to go on the airwaves to play and talk about whatever they're passionate about,” says Amber. “That is so refreshing. I think that community is so important and allows us to be truly driven by our listeners.” 

As she gets to know a new community, Amber is excited to dive in headfirst and learn what Minnesota and the Twin Cities have to offer. Big highlights of her time so far at The Current include meeting Justin Vernon of Bon Iver, watching an in-studio performance from Beach Weather, attending The Current Happy Hours, and marching in the Pride parade with team MPR. Trying to find the best Juicy Lucy, exploring her neighborhood, and of course, discovering new music and music venues have been at the top of her bucket list this summer.  

“Minnesota is a hub of music,” she says. “I mean, it’s the home of Prince. This is a place that artists are really excited to visit and perform, which makes me excited to live here and see what the music scene offers.”